Automatic railroad-switch throw and lock



F. H. MARTIN. AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH THROW AND LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9,1921.

1 g 3 3 5 1 Patented July 18,1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

INVENTCR Finn/i: H/Zfiz/iuz/ WITNESSES ATTORNEY I WITNESSES F, H. MARTIN. AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH THROW AND I'LOCK' APFLlCATlON men JULY 9, 1911.

1,423,351. Patented July 18,1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

ATTORNEY- F. .H. MARTIN. AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH THROW AND LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9.1921.

Patented July 18, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY Fig, 5.

PATENT @FFICE.

FRANK H. MARTIN, OF GARTERVILLE, ILLINOIS.

. AUTOMATIC nArLnoAn-swmcrr ri-rnow Ann oon.

Application filed July 9,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRAriK H. MARTIN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Carterville, in the county of Williamson and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Automatic Railroad-Switch Throw and Lock, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to automatic railroad switch throws and locks, and its object is to provide a device of such character wherein there are no springs which could be so strained as to cause a break, wherein tics may be replaced and the track surfaced and lined. up without any obstruction to the fixtures of the throwing device, whereby liability of breakage is reduced to a minimum, and where many disadvantages of other switching installations are avoided.

The invention contemplates the use of devices known as tripvees capable of operation from either side of a railway vehicle or engine, and which tends to hold the vehicle to the track rather than derail it. Moreover,

the invention permitsa train or vehicle to throwaswit'ch for a siding and then close the switch after passing through, or the reverse, without a stop and as fast as the train will keep the track.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed de scription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, withthe understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any exact conformity with the showing of the drawing, but may be changed and modified, so long as such changes and modifications mark no material. departure from the salient features of the invention, as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view, more or less in diagram, of a switch-operating installation.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section, of the switch mechanism. i

' Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the structure of Fig. 3. a i

Fig. 5 is an elevation of one of the tripvees. I

Fig. 6 is a view of the structure of Fig. 5, taken at right angles to Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the structure of 'anism Figs. 8; 9. and 10 are detail views of-connecting means employed in the switch mech- Fig. 11 is a more or less diagrammatic elevation of a motor vehicle capable of operating the switch system.

Fig. 12 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 13 is across section of a portion of the motor car showing means for operating the tr-ipvees. I

Referring to the drawings, and more par Specification of Letters Patent. Pa'ijented July 18, 1922. i

1921; Serial No. 483,544.

ticularly to Figs. 1 to 10, there is shown a railroad track comprising a main line A and a branch line or siding B connected by a switch C. The switch comprises points 1 of usual construction, a switch stand 2 connected by a cross-bar 3 to the points 1 and enclosed by a box 4' for protection. The switch standincludes a rocker arm 5 connected to rods or cables 6, so that the switch points may be thrown from side to side in setting the main track A for straightthrough passage or coupling up the siding B to the main trackA,a-s may be desired.

The stand 2,,rocker arm 5' and cross bar 3, may follow the practice in ordinary switch stands and requires. no special description. Arranged at the side or sides of the track, out of the way of the ties and of an engine or 'a train traveling along the track, are foundation blocks 7 each carrying a plate 8 provided with journal bearings 9 traversed by a rock shaft 10, fast to which at opposite ends thereof are rocker arms 11 terminating in eyes 12 or other appropriate means for attaching the rods 6 or other like devices in the form of rods, cables or strands.

At one end of each shaft 10, there is secured a plate 13 which may be of expanding conformation as it rises from the shaft, and

at the upper end, it carries, in spaced rela tion, two fingers 14 pivoted to the plate 13' and held in the spaced relation by springs 15 so as to constitute V-shaped entering channels for operating devices to be described, the channels and parts defining them forming what I term tripvees.

In order to simplifyythe description, the strands 6 will be considered as rods and at appropriate points these rods terminate in circumferentially grooved ends 16 encircled by coupling 17, the grooves following a screw-thread 1 course permitting the couplings 17 to be secured to the rods by the simple expedient of screwing them thereon.

When the tripvees are installed, a suitable number of them are disposed on each side of the switch stand and are so situated that 'tion at the same time whereby actuating mechanism will engage a tripvee and throw the switch and actuate the next tripvee in order when the actuating means reaches it, thereby returning the first 'tripvee and settingstill another tripvee, if there be more than two in succession, the tripvees moving simultaneously but oppositely in order. Each movement of the tripvee rotates the switch stand and throws the switch points transversely to the line ofthe' track, whereby the main track may be coupled up to the branch track or siding andthen restoredto the first position while the train is passing, orin case of the siding being coupled up to the main track, the nextvcafr or train will straighten out the continunity of the main track, as the case may be. 1 l:

The tripvees may be arranged in continuone though successively alternate, series on oneside of the main track at such adistance therefrom as to offer, no interference with vehicles traveling alongtheimain trackor along the siding, and the tripvees may be duplicated wherever desired on opposite sides of the main traclc with the same freedom from interference. r The arms lavoflthe tripvees are elastically mounted so' that when one is engaged by an operating device it will-yield; andthe next arin willabe engagedby the operating device in either direction.

In order to throw the switch points, they are connected-by a bar 18 movable crosswise oiithe track and provided with catches 19 movable in slots of thebar 18andengaging the flanges oi? the switch points,'while rock members 20 hlngedwto the endsrof; bar18 have crank extremities 21, engaging one end or the other of a flat spring 22todepressor release it. The spring 22 has thecatches 19 carried thereby and movable therewith through said slots. a a

The rock members 20 are under the control of a. rod 23 connected at one end to the rocker arin 5. and at the other endand also at anintermediate point to cranlisj23, oi the rock members 20, the movement of said rod causing the ends ofthe spring22 to he -deands relockedin the new positionythe parts beingappropriately timedin action torthe" PHI'DOSB.

"When the switch :stand is operate/add the rocker arm j5is operated and the points are shifted one way or the other to chrect the car The catches release the switch points first, thenthe points are thrown. and 'iinally the switch is shifted or train onto or from the siding in the usual manner, and in so doing one of the catches 19 is released i rom locking position and the other one then snapsinto locking position,

as shown in Figures 3 and 4, wherefore the switch points are always held in safety;

In Figs. ll and l2, there is a diagrammatic representation of a railway motor 24 capable of running upon the tracks A and B. The motor 24, which maybe of any appropriateconstruction, is provided with a casing 25 containing oppositely-movable rack bars 26 terminating atopposite ends in rods 27 carrying rollers 28 so located that they mayengage between the arms l l ofthe tripvees on opposite sides of the track. By means of appropriate gearing29ianda manipulating hand-wheel 30, the rollers28lmay be projectedlaterally or retracted with reference to the tripvees and thus be under the control ofan operator to cause the actuation of the tripvees and the throwing of the switch as the operator desires.

What is claimed is i '1. Operating means for railroad switch points, comprising a rock-able switch stand connected .tolthe points, a tripvee mounted to oscillate on a horizontal axis and connected to the stand; and vehicle-carried means adapted to travehin a pathto enter and actuate the tripvees, that portion of theitrip- ,veesentered by the vehiclecarried means comprising. divergent arms; movable; independently of; each other in tlieisame vertical blane. I

24 Operatingmeans for railroad switch points, comprising a rockablewswitoh stand connected to the points, a tripvee mounted to oscillate on a horizontal axis, and. comprising-an upwardly openingWshaped entering channel r foi'med by arms divergent from each other a and pivotally mounted and movvable toward each other, connections from the tripvee to the switch points, andnieansicapable of traveling. along the railroad and 11 entering and operating the tripvee.

Operating means for railroad switch points, comprising a rockable switch stand connected to the points a tripvee amounted to oscillate on a horizontal axis and comprismg upwardlybpening, V-shaped entering channel, connections a from the tripvee to the switch' points, and means capable oftraveling alongthe railroad and r entering and operating the trip vee, the tripvee having upwardly-directed divergent arms and spring controlling means for maintainingthe arms in divergent condition andyielding. to forces tending to cause the; approach of the; arms.

4. Operating means for railroad switch points, comprising rockable switch; stand connected to thepoints, a tripvee located-at one side of the railroad track {)llfiiOif the patln of a vehicle on the railroad, a plurality-oi Y locks alternately operated and each adjacent to the vertical and each device tipping oppositely to the next in order, said entrances in the trip devices being formed by a pair of divergent members resiliently mounted on the tripping devices.

6. Operating means for railroad switches,

comprising a series of connected tripping devices mounted to rock in opposite directions and connected in order, said devices having upstanding open mouths normally inclined to the vertical and alternately tipping in opposite directions to each other, the devices comprising divergent arms pivoted at their lower ends and provided with springs normally retaining the arms in the divergent position.

7. perating means for railroad switches, comprising a switch stand having a rocker arm connected to the switch points, a transverse bar below the switch points, locking devices on the bar for engaging the switch points, a spring for said locking devices, means whereby said locking devices may be actuated by the rocker arm, and tripping devices located at the sides of the track and connected to the rocker arm,

8. Operating means for railroad switches comprising a switch stand having a rocker arm with connections therefrom to the points of the switch, a transverse bar movable below the points of the switch and having a plate underlying the switch points, lock catches yieldable to the shifting of the points and having a normal tendency to rise through the plate into the path of lateral movement of the points, and means for depressing the catches out of the path of the switch points and timed in operation to move the catches in alternation out of the path of one point as both points are shifted, whereby both points are positively locked in oneposition or the other by one of the catches through the connection between the points.

10. In operating means for railway switches, a switch stand, connections therefrom to the points of the switch, a plate over which the switch points are movable, slots in the plate laterally of the track in which the switch points are located, lock catches projectable through the slots, a spring carrying the catches and having a normal upward trend to lift the catches through the slots into the path of the switch points, and means for alternately depressing the catches in.op-

position to their normal tendency, with one catch rising through a respective slot while the other catch is forced down through the slot.

11. In operating means for railway switches, a switch stand, connections therefrom to the points of the switch, a plate over which the switch points are movable, slots in the plate laterally of the track in which the switch points are located, lock catches projectable through the slots, a spring carrying the catches and having a normal upward trend to lift the catches through the slots into the path of the switch points, and means for alternately depressing the catches in opposition to their normal tendency, with one catch rising through a respective slot while the other catch is forced below the slot, said last named meanscomprising crank devices movable into engagement with the spring, and connections from the crank devices to the switch stand. 7

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature.

FRANK H. MARTIN. 

